Time recording
A daily record of each employee's actual start and end times, kept in a format the Labour Inspectorate can review, required since Real Decreto-ley 8/2019 introduced mandatory time recording.
Who it applies to
Every employer, regardless of size.
In force since
May 2019
Record retention
4 years
Note
The draft Real Decreto that would make the record digital-only has not been approved: RDL 8/2019 and Art. 34.9 ET apply. Records are kept for 4 years (Art. 34.9 ET).
Legal basis
Real Decreto-ley 8/2019, Art. 34.9 ET
Source
Spot-check 2026-08-22 against La Moncloa, INSST, Iberley; docs/claude_climahq-plan-and-audit-2026-08.md §2.4
Spot-checked Aug 2026
Who must comply
Every employer with employees in Spain, regardless of size or sector, with narrow statutory exceptions.
What an inspection involves
An inspector can request the time records for any period the employer is required to retain, and cross-check them against payroll and any overtime claimed.
Typical cost
Typically low: most HRIS and time-tracking tools already produce compliant records, so the ongoing cost is mostly the discipline of keeping the record current rather than new software spend.
See where your organization stands on this obligation
The Radar tracks this obligation against your own workplaces and headcount, not just in the abstract.